Step by Step Tutorial - 100 Cameras in 1 for the iPad

When the teacher needs to follow her own advice!

Final result after processing with 100 Cameras, Image Blender, Snapseed and TouchRetouch

On Monday I was asked by Trey Ratcliff if I used the app 100 Cameras in 1 for the iPad. When I told him no, he offered to give me a free copy. Thanks Trey!

When I first opened it I was overwhelmed by the 100 choices. I started scrolling through the options and after 10 or so of them I decided to pick one. Next I started playing with the sliders and blending choices until I came up with a result I liked. Happy with my image, I decided to thank Trey for giving the app to me and show him what I created.

Well after I showed Trey my image he turned to me and asked, "Honestly, what do you think of the app?" I froze not sure how to respond. First of all I had quickly went through the app not having much time between conference sessions to truly take a look at it. Secondly, I hadn't read the simple instructions provided within the app. Third, I was, as I stated earlier, overwhelmed at first glance. So I honestly told him I was overwhelmed and that I loved the slider/blending mode combination (even though I didn't understand it yet).

I left the conversation somewhat embarrassed that I truly didn't spend the time on the app that I should have before approaching Trey. That evening I was thinking of how many of my students tell me that they are overwhelmed when I introduce new apps to them. I thought about all the choices most apps have and how I have spent countless hours checking out all the options in order to discover what are my favorites are. I then heard the voice in my head remind me of how I tell students to be sure to play, try things out you might not think you like, move the sliders all the way to the right and then all the way to the left, all in order to discover what is possible.

So yesterday during a long break I decided to truly spend an hour or two discovering the possibilities of 100 Cameras in 1.

Below I have described step by step how I came to the final result.

Original image

First I used the iPad version of 100 Cameras in 1 to create a texture I liked for the sky. Keep in mind that the I processed the first three images focusing only on the sky. After choosing the filter I liked I would move the Yin and Yang sliders until I liked the result. Next I would tap 'Add Effect'.

Again focusing just on the sky I would scroll through different effects until I came to one that I liked. As I found ones I did like I would 'Star' them as my favorites in order to be able to find them again easier.

It was a wonderful surprise to come across this combination choice for the sky. I loved the streaked starry night feel that was created.

Starting all over again with the original image and the three filter choices I used to create the sky, I now focused on the foreground as I applied each one. I knew that I needed to create a dark moody foreground to match the newly created starry night.

While adding the second filter I continued to just focus on the foreground this time.

For the third and final filter I was able to move the sliders and create the mood I was hoping to achieve.

After creating the layered sky and foreground, I usually use the app Image Blender to tone down the effect. During this step I combined the sky layer and the original in an overlay blend to create some brightness in the sky.

Again using Image Blender I then blended the foreground image with the original using the Luminosity blending mode. After choosing the blending mode you like make sure to positon the slider for more control.

In order to combine the sky and foreground image I need to use an application that has a brush and allows layers to be used. My app of choice for this task is Filterstorm. It allows me to control the Diameter, Softness and Opacity of the brush while I combine the two images. I also am able to zoom into the image for accurate brushing.

Now that the image is combined I use another favorite app, Snapseed, to add a little Ambience and Sharpening.

For the final touches I chose to take out some of the 'spots' in the sky using TouchRetouch.

My recommendation when starting to use apps with several effects is to make sure to collect favorites by 'starring' them. Don't star too many at a time before you have a chance to become familiar with the shortened list you created. 100 Cameras in 1 and apps like it will be less overwhelming if you do 'star' just a few at a time. As you can see by this workflow, the combination of just three filters can give very different results depending on where the sliders are located.

I hope you found this tutorial to be useful. Comments are always welcome.

Always remember to play, explore and have fun as you discover the wonderful possibilities of the photographic applications!

1 comment:

I think the iPad app is much more overwhelming with the number of effects than the iPhone one: it doesn't group the effects in an easy-to-navigate way, just gives a long scrolling list. The iPhone app groups the effects and you can see a list of the groups first, then drill down into one group. It would be great to have the same kind of navigation on the iPad app.

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